Growing the Forest

Growing the Forest

In Ontario, for every tree that is cut on public land, a plan is in place to make sure that trees will grow back. It’s true. In fact, it’s the law. In central Ontario natural regeneration is the most common way of growing the forest. When the forest is harvested, conditions are created that allow young trees to flourish. Taller trees are left to provide seed to regenerate the forest after it’s cut, and provide valuable diversity and wildlife habitat. In some forest types we plant trees to ensure that harder-to-grow species, such as white pine and red oak, succeed. For more information on how we grow new trees on public land visit Forest Renewal.

On private lands, landowners are educated on how to make their forests healthy through managing their forest or planting a new one. Landowners are encouraged to maintain forest cover through the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program. On private lands, trees are planted in areas that were previously farmed but determined to be unsuitable for agriculture. To restore forest cover, the Ontario Government has committed to planting 50 million new trees on privately owned land by the year 2025. For more information on the 50 Million Tree program and other tree planting projects visit 50 Million Tree Program.

#ItTakesAForest

“It Takes a Forest” is an initiative led by Forests Ontario in partnership with local, like-minded individuals and organizations with a common goal of providing the public with unbiased, fact-based information on Ontario’s forest sector and the role of our forests as one of the province’s most sustainable resources.